Page 27

Before I can shriek with surprise, he drags me to a nearby alley and into the shadows. I’m pressed up against a brick wall, and my arms are shoved above my head and pinned in place with one of his.

“Oh God,” I gasp, already breathless from being wildly turned on.

I stare wide-eyed at Owen while getting a complete sensory overload from his body pressing hard against mine. Every nerve ending tingles, and heat flushes my core.

His tone is low and deadly as he growls, “I can do whatever I want to you. The police won’t stop because they didn’t see me snatching you right off the sidewalk. You’re completely at my mercy.”

Sweet Jesus.

Chapter 8

Owen

Anger simmers in my chest because Annie’s being so damn reckless.

If she knew a fraction of how dark this world really is, she wouldn’t leave the safety of her apartment.

I have her restrained against the wall so she will see how powerless she is. But as my body holds hers captive and I glare into her big green eyes, heat ignites between us.

At first, it’s a spark, but when I don’t pull back, it bursts into dangerous flames, threatening to burn right through every lick of common sense I possess.

For a moment, I can only stare down at Annie while I feel every inch of her perfect body. My knee is pressed up between her thighs, the heat from her pussy soaking right through my jeans.

It also doesn’t help that her breasts are squashed against my stomach, her cleavage on display for me.

Red strands of hair stick to her neck and collarbones, and her pulse flutters, indicating her heart is beating a mile a minute.

I instantly grow hard, fully aware she can feel it.

My eyes lock on her parted lips, bursts of warm air hitting my skin as she exhales. Something intense coils deep inside me. It wants to pounce and devour this woman.

Instead of being scared because I have her imprisoned against a wall, Annie pushes closer to me until her lips skim over my jaw. Her breathing is fast and shaky, and the desire coming from her makes the air vibrate with anticipation.

Fuck, I want her naked and screaming beneath me as I bury my cock deep into her soft and tempting body.

Stunned by what I’m experiencing, I move my free hand to her side, and when I feel how fragile her ribs are beneath my fingers, my body shudders.

I feel like a predator that’s been pushed to the point of starvation, and I’ve stumbled across an innocent little deer.

Annie’s breaths rush over the bristles on my jaw, and as another tremor racks through me, I let go of her hands and grip her by the front of her throat so I can keep her from moving, because she’s pushing me to my limits. Any further and I will fuck her right against this wall.

My other hand shifts down to her hip, and when my eyes flick to hers, the flames that are licking between us become a fucking inferno.

Her gaze is hooded with desire, the expression calling to me like a siren’s song.

The life I lived for close to twenty years trained my nervous system to survive, not feel. There was only controlled emptiness and feeling nothing, so there weren’t any emotions that could be used against me.

Every second of every day was filled with hypervigilance, my body and mind never powering down.

My rage was kept on a tight leash, and I compartmentalized everything because if I’d stopped and felt for a single second, the kill orders I carried out would’ve cracked me wide open.

Having someone who mattered was a risk I couldn’t take, so I self-isolated.

But as I’m dragged under the dangerous spell this woman is casting over me, I experience feelings and sensations that overwhelm the fuck out of me.

My breathing changes, becoming ragged, and my grip on her tightens until letting go feels impossible.

The warmth of her lush body seeps into mine, and the way she’s patiently waiting for me to make a move registers.